Your move, Warren

The Tories have been criticized lately for putting their party logo on some non-negotiable jumbo novelty cheques. While I agree that the practice of associating party brand so explicitly with public money should stop, let’s remember that news is “man bites dog” not “dog bites man” and there are true masters of pushing the partisan envelope still around.

We see that Warren Kinsella’s old boss said something about pepper on his plate and the parliamentary press gallery had a chuckle and then hit Hy’s for some more vino. However, Andrew McIntosh and Joel-Denis Bellavance from the National Post were on the job and cast some light on Jean Chretien’s partisan abuse of public dollars.

PM comfortable using grants for partisan reasons: ‘nothing to be ashamed’

OTTAWA and QUEBEC CITY – Jean Chretien, the Prime Minister, yesterday said his government had nothing to apologize for in seeking to reap maximum partisan political benefit from disbursing $1-billion worth of federal job grants across Canada each year.

He had always made sure since taking power in October, 1993, that voters were left in no doubt that it was his Liberals who were distributing such grants, he said.

“Listen,” he added, “we are the government … I don’t see why we can’t try to get credit for what we do. I hope we do so. There is nothing to be ashamed in that.”

Previously, Mr. Chretien and Jane Stewart, the Human Resources Minister, have insisted in Parliament that the $1-billion in grants for job creation, training, literacy and other projects were not allocated with the intention of gaining partisan advantage, but rather were designed to benefit ridings regardless of their political complexion.

The prime minister, joined by Paul Martin, the Finance Minister, told a news conference that increasing reports of the financial mismanagement at Human Resources Development Canada would not tarnish his government’s fiscal credibility.

The National Post reported yesterday that Peter Donolo, the prime minister’s former director of communications, created and ran a well-oiled public relations campaign to ensure that Liberals — ministers and MPs — took maximum credit for job creation grants across the country.

Job creation money is at the centre of accusations that Human Resources grants were mismanaged and improperly used as a slush fund to win votes and reward loyalists.

Opposition MPs were stunned by Mr. Chretien’s performance in Quebec City, saying that the Liberals will suffer politically if the prime minister continues to deny the seriousness of the HRDC mess.

“It’s pretty brazen,” said Diane Ablonczy, a Reform party MP form Calgary. “Clearly, Mr. Chretien has no shame or contrition for mismanaging taxpayers’ money and abusing the public trust. Canadians won’t forget that at election time.”

Peter MacKay, the Conservative House leader, said, “The prime minister has flipped his wig. He has demonstrated once again he is completely out of touch with reality and he is displaying increadible arrogance by trying to minimize this serious problem.”

Mr. Chretien conceded that there were “obvious” management problems at HRDC, which were condemned in a scathing departmental audit published last month, and that these must be rectified.

The prime minister said, “Of course, there are problems, but we have to place the problem in a certain perspective. We have to make regular adjustments on the basis of recommendations by those people who conduct the audit. It’s a huge department that has over 20,000 employees … There’s no doubt that it’s an extremely difficult department to manage. What strikes me is that no recipient has complained thus far. To go and say that it’s a scandal, one must not exaggerate.”

The prime minister denied, despite a number of documented cases, that Liberal MPs sought extra pre-election advantage by announcing new grants just before the 1997 general election and before the grants were officially approved.

In the House of Commons, the Liberals suffered another verbal pounding over the financial scandal. The opposition claimed that a newly disclosed 1997 review reveals that there was political interference in the approval of Transitional Jobs Fund projects. It showed, the opposition said, that the Liberals used the $100-million-a-year program to buy votes.

Aside from finding incompetence, the audit concluded that HRDC bureaucrats were pressured by political operatives to speed through approval for projects that “did not meet TJF elgibility criteria.” Several were found not to be failing to create jobs.

Mr. MacKay, the Nova Scotia Tory, questioned whether Ms Stewart could be trusted, saying: “Daily the minister of HRDC subjects Canadians to the sad spectacle of self-destruction with the documented mishandling and mismanagement of taxpayers money that was uncovered by the internal audit, the subsequent fallout, the spin-doctoring, the witholding of information, the manipulation of statistics and the sliding scale of eligibility.”

Ms. Stewart brushed off his call for her to resign. She later produced a letter showing that after she became HRDC minister, she removed herself from all decision-making about grants in her riding, Brant, Ont., by delegating her power to approve them to her top bureaucrat, Claire Morris, the HRDC deputy minister.

Not at all on topic Stephen and I apologize for that, but this is food for thought nonetheless;

Michael Jean, the current Governor General, is getting to be a little too much of a swelled head for my liking, it's time to replace her. She's had four years on the job and that's the traditional amount of time a GG usually has in this position.

She was appointed as such by Elizabeth II, Queen of Canada, on the recommendation of then Canadian Prime Minister Paul Martin, to replace Adrienne Clarkson as vicereine. The official announcement of the appointment was made on 4 August 2005, and Jean's investiture as the 27th governor general since Confederation took place on 27 September.

It's time to find a new GG.

Bruce

Correction, five years is the normal time and she's got eleven months to go, start the search.

terry1

Stephen, your off on the wrong parisan track as usual. JC admitted pork was part of the game. Harpo the hypocrite campaigned against it and then upped the ante by going another step further. Hes a liar, a hypocrite and an unethical leech using government to push his party's ads.

David

Don't you see?

For Liberals there are two sets of standards.One for them and a higher one for the rest of us.

Would he have criticized Chretien for not eating the wafer after he did actually consume it?Would he have shown shock had a Chretien cabinet Minister sent too many bodybags to a Northern community at their request?Would he have accused the Chretien gov't if a logo looked too much like the Liberal “L”?Would he call Ignatieff a “chickenshit” for backing down on an election call?Would he suppport a leader for PM after he supported George Bush’s illegal war in Iraq?Would he support a leader that mocked Canada for 30 years?

The answers are clear. They are driven solely by political affiliation and nothing else.

m123T

And he will be the next PM with a majority of the seats.Liberal mantra, do as I say, not as I do.And all that cash in not being passed out in brown paper bags to Quebec bagmen.And how much of that liberal money went to conservative ridings in Alberta, oh I forgot, JC hated Alberta.

After 13 years of Liberals, some Tory ridings need a little more TLC than others.

Bruce

We have done what exactly?

Care to elaborate?

hjasonhickman

People who were old enough to remember the '93 election & the period leading up to it will remember that the *Liberals* were the ones promising to clean house. Perhaps you're too young to remember that, Terry, but the fact is when Chretien was on the outside looking in, he made just as big a deal out of ethics, etc as the Conservatives did pre-January '06. And we know how that turned out in the end.

None of which justifies lapses by the Tories such as putting the CPC logo on the cheques. But it does mean that the Libs are the *last* ones who should be lecturing to the Conservatives.

terry1

David, pardon my Texas english but you are full of shite.

1. no one knows whether he consumed the wafer. Best VIDEO indicates he DID NOT consume it. 2.Yes3. it never happened and you are inferring it did. That's BS at its finest.4.Yes5.what Liberla leader supported Bush's war in Iraq?6. that's absolute BS and you know it…you're an absolute idiot for even suggesting it;you are an idiot wven w/o suggesting it. 5.

terry1

95% BS from an idiot. Bruce calling you an idiot is a compliment. Take it for what its worth.You can't begin tocover up for the unethical and completely dishonest Tory government.

terry1

You idiot 200 checdks distributed under tory logos and MP's names. You have no morals, just like your party.

wilson

Absolutely no way the CPC logo should go on the cheque, which it did on one chq, big no no.But an MP representing the Government,( remember, the CPC is the governing party),is not unethical, immoral or any other slanderous word used.

The Government of Canada representative are CPC MPs, everyone of them,and ANY CPC MP could be assigned the 'hand out the big cardboard cheque' job,in any riding, and would be doing the job for the Government of Canada.

And Macleans has afew Liberal cardboard cheques, signed by Lib MPs when they were in government here:

Jack Layton wants guidelines for cheque writting photo-ops.Jack wants only Dipper MPs handing out pork in Dipper held ridings, so as the NDP gets credit for the pork……which is exactly Jack's complaint about the CPC using a photo-op to take credit for the pork and NOT the Govt of Canada……LOL

Dear Jack,

The CPC MPs, all of them, are the representatives of the Government of Canada,we won the election.And much to your dismay, the Coalition of Losers couldn't usurp power,or right now you would be fighting with Iffy and Gilles, on who gets to take credit at the photo-op, will the cheques be red or blue or orange…

But heh, I'm all for your suggestion that the MP that holds the riding to be in attendance,BUT with a Govt of Canada rep to share the photo-op. It is Canadian taxpayers money, not Dipper money, right!

That Govt of Canada rep will be a CPC MP, got it?

Alberta Bob

Compile your list.

Bec

Don't forget, the dippers, VOTED AGAINST, the Canadian Action Plan!

canadian2

Boy, sure have to dig deep to somehow try to justify this most recent case of public money for partisan purposes.

This Harper orgy of self-congratulation, thorugh $40 million of public paid ads with partisan messaging, to party logos and personal signatures on public money cheques, all of which is going disproportionately to Conservative ridings, is disgraceful.

Before you say “sponsorship” let me add that that was disgusting and those who perpetrated it have been rightfully penalized. This current crap clearly comes from the top, as all things do in this little gov't, and reflects a similar entitlement mentality. I saw the PM's little press flack ont he tube yesterday and he basically said it would all continue, minus the logos.

I thought you all wanted to be in government for a reason – limit government spending and prudently manage economy? Nope – epic fail. Open and transparent gov't? Another epic fail – most secretive gov't in history. Reduce polling and untendered contracts? Nope more than doubled over Liberals. Reduce patronage? Are you kidding? How many senators in one year – 30?

I find it difficult to identify any of the Conservative Party's so-called beliefs left that have not been completely compromised (in many cases by doing the exact opposite) in what is now simply power for its own sake.

You should check out Andrew Coyne on “At Issue” tonight, as he tell some truths you will not be comfortable with.

canadian2

Another point – interesting banner at top against the HST.

You do realize, of course, that the HST was promoted and is strongly supported by Stephen Harper, Jim Flaherty and the entire Conservative government?

But I am sure you are constantly attacking them for supporting it, right? Right?

Such typically shallow partisanship.

Alberta Bob

Back up your argument with facts buddy, or are the fact getting in the way of your argument?

Bruce

Terry 1/Parnel/canadian2

In 1997, three Atlantic provinces (Newfoundland, New Brunswick, and Nova Scotia) harmonized their provincial sales taxes (which were independent sales taxes) with the federal GST.

Were Stephen Harper, Jim Flaherty promoting the HST?

Gabby in QC

Hypocrites like David McGuinty and Wayne Easter have never reconciled themselves to the fact that the Conservatives have won TWO elections. They are the government whether they like it or not, and as such, are in the position to present those cheques to whichever local officials are on hand.

The Liberals are so bereft of any policies or direction they have to focus on insignificant things like the number of pictures of the PM on a government website, whether the colours used are the right ones, or whether Canadians will be confused as to who is giving the money. Talk about desperate pettiness.

Of course, the Liberals are functioning on the premise Canadians are too stupid to figure out:1. stimulus funds are taxpayer funds2. an MP's signature on a facsimile of a cheque simply means that individual MP has worked to get that funding allotted3. stimulus funding will benefit all residents of a riding, whether they voted Conservative, Liberal, or NDP, so the argument that most of the funding was given to Conservative ridings is irrelevant – and probably inaccurate anyway.

For example; http://www.buildingcanada-chantierscanada.gc.ca…“Toronto, Ontario, September 11, 2009 — The Government of Canada joined with the City of Toronto today to unveil more than 500 new infrastructure projects that can begin construction across the City of Toronto as soon as possible, including upgrades to roads, water and sewage infrastructure, public transit, municipal buildings, community centres, and cultural facilities. …”

Has Toronto suddenly become a bastion of the Conservative Party?

Bec

OMG, canadian2…get over your preaching. The HST banner on the BT website is the fact that Conservatives, think for themselves and give each other the opportunity to DEBATE. Unlike your, 'do it or die' mentality.Your whole rant is the stuff that conservative thinking is made of, uncovering unmitigating hypocrisy.WE make mistakes, we call our party OUT, PUBLICLY, or decimate them. YOU GUYS, well simply put, you ENABLE THEM to anoint a leader and continue to recruit idiot ideologues that sound just like you!

Gabby, you must have been a defenceman with the no dicks formerly the Nordiques the way you keep deflecting facts.

Harper is a liar and an ethically challenged thug. You will understand that soon enough.

terry1

Gabby, here's another opinion to make you choke on your pea soup:

Forget about the polls for a minute and let's turn to another facet of our politics. A short while ago, the Liberal Party unveiled a new theme: We can do better. Many right wingers ridiculed the theme, with some wanting to know how on earth the Liberals could claim that they could do better.

What many Tory supporters (and many in the media) missed is that the Liberal theme applied equally to Canada and Canadians.

We, Canada, can do better than we are doing right now under the governance of Harper's minority government.

Why?

Because, when the history of Harper's stint as prime minister is written, I fully expect most independent historians to focus on one overarching theme: the many ways in which the Stephen Harper government has reduced the standing of Canada in the eyes of the world.As Lawrence Martin succinctly summarized in his article in Wednesday's Globe & Mail:

“You wonder how far the standards can fall.”

For fall the standards have taken under Harper's leadership of our country.

If you examine any major area of our country, you will soon find signs of a diminution in our standards, a lessening of our worth (moral and economic, amongst others) as a country.

terry1, I hate to break it to you but all of you garbage-y propaganda can be disputed and has been on this and other sites. Have you no shame? Dumb question but what motivates you? Who motivates you? Do you do nothing other than embarrass yourself on both Liberal and Conservative blogging sites?IS it bugging you that Conservative voters are smarter, intellectually and are consistently, higher educated?Or are you the childish bully in the schoolyard, that is STARVING for attention?What is it terry1?

http://www.stephentaylor.ca Stephen Taylor

And it's an ad!

terry1

Nothing bugs me in the way you suggest…..conmservative voters are neither smarter or more highly educated. how do you think Harpo gets away with all his lies. his supporters are the lower edcuated of ur country and the most vulnerable to his BS. The sun chain of newspapers is his territory and you know they are the best intellectual source of real nes in the world.

Your party has all the bully content in this country. I just keep on reminding you poor idiots about it.

Does that cover it off?

Bruce

That's not what I was implying, all of you Libtard trolls are all the same, all BS and no substance.

If clues were shoes you'd be barefoot.

Gabby in QC

“… here's another opinion to make you choke on your pea soup …”

Hmm … “pea soup” hey? Is that the kind of appellation you hope will get you a lot of votes in Quebec?Is that an example of your liberal tolerance and inclusiveness?Do Martin Cauchon, Denis Coderre, Marc Garneau et al. know that's how you refer to Quebecers?Can we expect you to refer to Quebecers as Pepsis next time?

“You wonder how far the standards can fall” is portentously quoted as an example of eloquence.And Terry1 contributes to that liberal eloquence with his finely honed prose, using terms like “no dicks.”

What a buffoon! What a maroon! How far have the mighty fallen, that they have to rely on a little pipsqueak like Terry1 to make their case!

terry1

And if brains were dynamite you couldn't blow your nose.

terry1

Nothing bugs me in the way you suggest…..conservative voters are neither smarter nor more highly educated. How do you think Harpo gets away with all his lies. His supporters are the lower edcuated of our country and the most vulnerable to his BS. The sun chain of newspapers is his territory and you know they are the best intellectual source of real news in the world.

Your party has all the bully content in this country. I just keep on reminding you poor idiots about it.

Does that cover it off?

Anonymous

Gabby, have you ever stopped yourself to actually think?

I maybe a French Canadian or a Quebecker myself and the comment may have been designed as a fair comment and not a bigoted Tory type one.

Perhaps quantity takes precedence over quality in the case of Toxic Troll. It's almost blasphemous to have a Liberal trumpeter ranting about ethics and morals.

David

These were rhetorical questions you idiot.

However I will indulge you on answers 5 and 6

5.”what Liberla leader supported Bush's war in Iraq?”

According to WK it was Michael Ignatieff.

“6. that's absolute BS and you know it…you're an absolute idiot for even suggesting it;you are an idiot wven w/o suggesting it. “

The” idiot “who suggested it?

Same answer.

If Liberals say nasty things about Iggy then you will notice that Tories and Dippers will do the same.

terry1

Gabby, now you see that pea soup is not toxic…..LOL

terry1

Liz J hysterical……… its almost sickening to watch this government wreck the good fiscal responsable government the Libs AND ALL CANADIANS worked so hard to achieve. These thieving Reformatory socialists will go down as the worst fornicators of the population ever.

And please remember when your taxes go up or your welfare check goes down that it was your support of these crooks that helped it along.

terry1

I think curiosity Cat's blog has relevance for the arrogant and ignorant reformatories here:

Forget about the polls for a minute and let's turn to another facet of our politics. A short while ago, the Liberal Party unveiled a new theme: We can do better. Many right wingers ridiculed the theme, with some wanting to know how on earth the Liberals could claim that they could do better.

What many Tory supporters (and many in the media) missed is that the Liberal theme applied equally to Canada and Canadians.

We, Canada, can do better than we are doing right now under the governance of Harper's minority government.

Why?

Because, when the history of Harper's stint as prime minister is written, I fully expect most independent historians to focus on one overarching theme: the many ways in which the Stephen Harper government has reduced the standing of Canada in the eyes of the world.

As Lawrence Martin succinctly summarized in his article in Wednesday's Globe & Mail:

“You wonder how far the standards can fall.”

For fall the standards have taken under Harper's leadership of our country.

If you examine any major area of our country, you will soon find signs of a diminution in our standards, a lessening of our worth (moral and economic, amongst others) as a country.

One example of the debasement of the values of our democracy is the Tory style of using Parliament to wage unremitting partisan war on the other parties, in the process turning what should be an institution in which Canadians can take pride, into a caterwauling and dysfunctional kindergarten of the worst kind.

As another example, take the lowered standards of the central government's use of Canadians tax dollars. The Harper government, with his sanction, has perverted the distinction (essential for a functioning democracy) between the roles and functions of a political party, and the roles and functions of a government. The stimulus funds have been allocated disproportionately to projects in Conservative ridings, as if those funds were funds belonging to the Conservative MPs.

If we can borrow a phrase applied by a Tory minister to a Premier, it would be fair to say of Prime Minister Stephen Harper that, as compared to the past dozen or so prime ministers, he has proven himself to be the small man of our confederation.

What a legacy to leave.

And what an insult to all those supporters of the Conservative Party who had hoped that the union of the old Reform-Alliance party with the old Progressive Conservative Party might result in a political party in which they could take pride.

Rich

Terry your liberal bias knows no bounds JC not only used tax payers dollars to promote liberal ridings, but also used tax payersd money to funnel into liberal party coffers as well as to some of his henchmen. You readily critize and insult the PM calling him a liaar and cheat yet condone the antics of JC and liberals. If you had listened to CTV QP yesterday you would have heard from a former ethics commissioner who stated using party logos and promoting the governing party is not unethical as your big red machine would like to insinuate.

The reason that the PM is now appealing to most Canadians is he has moved more to the center, which is were most Canadian voters like to be; MI is trying to recapture that ground but unfortunately he has to many left leaning socialist like a Bob Rae, Ujjahl Dosanjh etc trying to capture the left from Jack Layton.

Rich

David very good and valid points, but I would just like to add, that it was Mr Chretien that has a contingent of Canadian Forces in Iraq supporting George Bush: I believe that the Minister of Defence at the time was David Collanette who was later replaced by none other than John McCallum. Let's see what earth shattering words of wisdom Terry uses to explain this one.

roblaw

Ok. So there is no point trying to debate with someone who so clearly is a kool-aid drinker. But, that being said, we can piont out their own hypocricy to illustrate to others who might not be so delusional.

Terry.

Back up.

You point out what you refer to as teh dishonesty of the Conservatives, but, when it comes down to it, all you can point to are errors or, at worst, promises that were not kept. What you don't point to, and which Bruce so clearly pointed to, is the abject theft of taxpayer dollars from Liberals to their friends. Show us that. Show us the Conservative government and their appointees and pals getting arrested for misusing taxpayer dollars.. show us something more.

As Bruce said, the record of the Liberals is replete with their disgusting misuse of taxpayer money.

..and you can add to the list the transfer of Digby Wharf with an added $3 million without any obligation to account for it to a good Chretien supporter.

Go ahead Terry. Explain just how the Conservatives have defrauded the taxpayer by spending money on ads that were never created.. explain how a Conservative appointment as Lieutenant Governor of Quebec or any other Province was arrested for defrauding the taxpayer..

Go ahead.

Make.Our.Day.

terry1

I can explain that one easily. I was a supporter of sending combat troops to Iraq and I think time will prove that Bush was correct to effect a regime change there.

How's them apples!!!

terry1

m123T…keep that wet dream alive. Harpo won't be PM nor leader of the opposition after the next election. He has brown bag stuff everywhere.

http://www.stephentaylor.ca Stephen Taylor

Stop the presses! You're an interesting one Mr. Terry.

http://www.stephentaylor.ca Stephen Taylor

Terry, your last prediction on Stephane Dion winning the last election wasn't correct. Why should we believe the Oracle now?

terry1

Glad you agree.

Now if you could only get your site to leave me signed in life would be peachy. As it is in recent days I have to sign in each and every time I need to straighten out a reformatory.

terry1

Some things are just not meant to be…..dion's loss will seen as a blessing by the party pretty soon. He is a very decent man but hadn't caught on to the need for fund rasing in order to beat down the crooked reformatories.